The common match has a number of problems as a tool for lighting a fire, principally that it requires both hands to strike a flame, that it is difficult to maintain a flame under windy conditions, and that the flame cannot readily be provided remote from the user's hand. Conventional fuel-supplied lighters can maintain a constant flame because of the continuous supply of combustible fuel to the flame point. However, lighters also have the problem that the flame provided is generally proximate to the hand of the user, and create an unsafe condition particularly when they are used to light material that is highly combustible.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a fuel-supplied lighter that can provide a flame remote from the user's hand, yet is compact and has safety features which prevent its becoming lit at times not intended by the user. It is another object of the invention to provide a safety lighter that can be operated by the user with one hand and in one motion to provide both a continuous charge of lighter fuel and an electrically ignited spark for the fuel. It is a further object to provide a safety lighter that can be folded and unfolded from a compact safe storage configuration to one where a flame is provided at a point remote from the user's hand.